Coin operated dispensing machine



(NoModel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

@EGALET G01N OPERA'TBD DISPBNSING MACHINE.

No..539,7 52. Patented May 21, 1895. 7/// 'lnconvenient and costly to construct ma- IINITE- STATES ATENE BEIGE.,

AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE COMPANY, OF SACO,

INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING COIN-OPERATED DlSPENSING-MACHINE.

.SPECIFICATION forming part of LcttersPatent No. 539,752, dated May 21, 1895.

. Application nea August 1a, 1894. serai No. 520.151. (No model.)

yib all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. GALE, of Winthrop, in the county of Suolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Operated Dispensing-Machines, of .which the following is a description sufticiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which@ Figure l is a front elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2, a transverse section Online 2 2V in Fig. l; Fig. 3, an elevation, partly in section, taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2;

Like letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding Vparts in the different iigures of the drawings.

My invention relates especially to a coinreleased mechanism for dispensing bulky and weighty articles, such as cigars, rolls or plugs of tobacco, bottles of cologne, &c. Heretofore much diculty has been ,experienced yin constructing a mechanismfor automatically delivering this class of articles from the fact Iss that it has beendeemed necessary to employv weights or springs which render it extremely chines of sufficient size to eiiect the object. My invention is designed to overcome these and other objections and in carrying it out I make use of means which will be understood by those conversant with such matters from thefollowing explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the case which may be of any form and construction, that -shown being rectangular and provided with a detachable door, B, in its front, secured by `a lock, b, at the top. In suitable position in the door there is a coin-slot, d. In the rear of the box there is a vertically arranged serpentine chute for carrying the goods to be delivered; this form being employed as the grooves takexo the pressure re- Sulting from the weight of the goods at the wheel by the weight actuating mechanism. The glass front, f, covers the serpentine chute.

Running transversely of the case andgournaled in suitable supports there is a 4rotary shaft, g. On this shaft is mounted the delivery-wheel, D. This wheel comprises two disks having peripherallyopening segmental slots,

72 the partitions, between said slots being 4 hook-shaped orcurved as best shown in Fig. 3.

The rnou`th,j, of the chute, C, delivers to the slots in' this wheel and slightly at one side fof a vertical plane passing through the shaft,

g, so that when a roll, k, of the goods in said chute drops into one of these peripheral slots vit will tend to cause the wheel, D, to rotate by gravity.

and Fig. 4, a sectional view 'illustrating the operation of the coin-chute.

On the shaft, g, there is a ratchet-wheel, m,

ffast. A ratchet, p, is pivoted in the frame and has a counter-balance, q, which holds one tooth of said ratchet in engagement with 'the wheel, m, locking it against movement in one f direction. On an arm, fr, projecting from the opposite arm ot' the ratchet, a coin-pan, t, is

mounted; these parts being so arranged that when the coin strikes said pan the ratchet will berocked against the weight of its counterbalance, q, permitting the shaft to be driven the distance of one or more teeth on the ratchet of the goods in the delivery wheel, D.

A stop for the chute, C, comprises an arm, f ast on a rock-shaft, w. To the head of this arm there is a plate, z, attached which projects across the 1nouth,j, of the chute, C, and normally holds the contents of the chute from dropping into the delivery wheel. y

A counter-balance, l5, is fast, to the rock-y shaft, w. On the shaft, g, there is a Vratchetwheel, 16, and on the rock-shaft, w, there is an arm, fu, which bears a caln-pawl, 17, engaging said ratchet, 16, whereby when the shaft, g, 'is rotated the rock-shaft, w, will be actuated as the cam, I7, rides `on a tooth of the ratchet,

16, throwing the plate, agout from the path of the goods in the chute. V c

A shield, 20, covers a portion of the peripheries of the disks forming the delivery-wheel, D, so that the goods, k, contained in the slots or recesses, h, will not be discharged until a determined point in the revolution of said wheel is reached. Under this wheel a discharge chute, F, inclining outwardly "is arranged. 'This chute opens at, 2l, in the cover, B. Across said chute there isa clapper-valve, 22,which will permit the passageof the article, 7c, but Will stop the insertion of Wires or other implements from outside the case.

The coin-chute, H, comprises a main-chute,

25, having an elbow, 26, in it, said chute con-k necting with the slot, d, in the front of the case and opening at, 27, over the pan, t. From the main portion, 28, of the chute, H, aparallel chute, 29, opens, said branches,25, and, 29, being separated by a partition, 30, in said main portion, 28. The branch, 29, leads to a receiving box, J,in the bottom of vthe-case without connecting in any-manner-withthe mechanism vheretofore described. Adjacent the edge of the partition, 30, a teat or boss, 35, is struck np from the bottom of the-chute centrally. The purpose of this boss is to prevent theuse of metallicwashers` for operati'n g the machine in place of a legal coin.

Onthe shaft, g, between the coin chute branches, 25,-and, 29,a disk, 75,*isfast. y'This disk is shown bydotted lines in Fig.1. 1

The door, B, of the casing lhas av segment,

76, cutoutandglazed-so that a portion of `this.

disk, 75, is exposed. Said -diskis yprovided with a series of pockets, 77, which willreceive the coin from the pan, t. The weight of this coin serves to'actuate-more determinedly the shaft, and moreovenas l when a coin is inserted in thechute it is delivered inapocket, 77,-at the top'of theslot, 76,-and Aexposed-to view through the glass so that it can be readily seen Whether the partyioperating the machine has disposed a legal coin vtherein or-not. vAs the disk, 75, is rotated-and'apocket, 77, passes the vertical center of the shaft'orlapproaches saidcenter thecoin falls out from thel pocket and -is discharged intoachute, 78, leading to the coin-receptacle, J.

In the use of my'improvement the-.serpentine chute, C, is lled with the article,as7c,to be dispensed. To render theoperation of the machine more perfectand prevent'such articles from catching in thefchute I preferably inclose them inaJ small-wooden orpaper cylinder. These are stopped `and held at the mouth by the plate, z, on the .stop-bar. A coin being inserted in the chute, H, strikes the boss, 35, tilting itfupward, asfshown in'Fig. 2,

so that it will pass over the mouth" of the branch chute-3,29, onto the upperface of the partition, 30, andinto themain chute, 25. Should a .metallic washer be' inserted in the chute, said washers as is 1well known vhaving a centralfopenifng,as soon assu'fticient of the body of the washer has passed over-the boss, 35, to registersaid boss with the .washeropening it .permits thefforwardgedge ofthe one tooth.

1P ;ther movement until the panis again de- ,pressed washer to'drop'vertically'downward and into the mouth of the branch chute, 25, preventing it from entering into the main chute at all; whereas, as described the whole coin or disk will pass over the mouth of said branch being directedupward by said boss. The coinfwhich passes into the, main chute falls onto thc pan, t,and thence intoa pocket of the disk, 75. The pan by contact of the coin drops, releasing the ratchet, p, and permits l,the Weight of the articles, Ila-which have previously been disposed in the notches, h, of the wheel, D, to rotate said wheel the distance of At the 'same time the wheel, 16, on the shaft engages the cam, 17, on the arm, v, rocking the shaft, w, and throwing the plate, e', out of the path of the article, 7c, which vdrops into thesuccessive empty notch of the `wheel. Areciprocates the shaft, tu,forcing the stopyplate across the chute-mouth again and the The counterbalance, 15, immediately counterbalance, q,rrec1procates the ratchet,

lockingthe ratchet-Wheels, fzii/,.againstfur- All the necessity-of employing springs for i tensioning orreciproeating the parts is avoided by :my improvements and the delivery :wheel as Willbeseen is actuated entirely by gravity.

It will be understood' thatseveral of the peripheral notches at the yleft of theshaft, c, l areatfallltimes 'lled by the articles, Tra-and that as the machine is operated-and thedelivery-wheel advances the distance of one of these articles, the lowerarticle, 7s, passing the shield, 20, drops lfrom the rwheel into the chute, F, and sliding therein opens the valve,

v22,and is delivered from the mouth, 2l, of 1 said chute through the cover.

.Idoynotfconne Lmyself to employing the f disk, 75, as it `may be dispensed with, if Kdesired,;although I deem its use preferable; `nor doJI contineimyselfto employing any particular form of receiving pocket or notch in the delivery-wheel, nor to anyfspecial form of wheel. Theserpentine-ohute may also be substituted by a-straight-chute, if desired. The branch, 29, of the coin-chute may be entirely dispensed with so that the mouth of said branch will *besimplyahole through the bottom of the main-chute, H, or a plain coinch-u-te may furthermore be employed without departing from thespirit of my invention, a salient feature of which svcomprised in a delivery-wheel ywhich .may be actuated by the weights of the'articles to be delivered and a coin -released locking mechanism for said wheel.

,Havingthusexplained `my invention,\what I'claim is 1. vIna lcoin-operated .dispensing-machine, the gravity-actuated dispensing'wheel provided peripherallyfwithf a seriesof receptacles IOO tro

adapted to receiveand carry a determined number of the articles to be dispensed in combination with a chute for delivering the artisaid receptacles in combination with the coin actuated ratchet engaging a ratchet Wheel on the shaft of said wheel, D, and a stop for said chute actuated by the rotation of said shaft, and a guard, 20, covering the mouths of a determined number of said receptacles, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE F. GALE.

Witnesses:

K. DURFEE, O. M. SHAW. 

